The previous Guinness record on the number of people who wash their hands was set at 52,970 people in multiple locations in Bangladesh in 2009. The new record is now officially registered in the World Guinness Book Records.
The Pan American Helath Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is committed to continue working with countries to break this record every year, in each of the participating countries, and the whole region. Promoting hand washing with soap and water continues to be one of the most cost-effective practices available in public health to prevent millions of deaths from infectious enferemedades around the globe.